


A Boy with Dragons and Charm

by Kivea



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Comedy, Friends With Benefits, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Romance, Sexual Themes, sort of Cursed Child compliant but I never reference the events that happen in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 06:57:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: At the end of their seventh year Scorpius was invited by the Potters to visit Romania, as a celebration for completing his N.E.W.Ts. When he was there he'd meet James Potter after hardly seeing the man for two years, but even after that time he was just as frustrating and charming as he ever had been.He didn't mean for it to happen, and it couldn't have been that bad, right? Right??





	A Boy with Dragons and Charm

Scorpius could pinpoint the exact moment he began to realise he was gay. He'd always been so obsessed with Rose, being cute and a little standoffish and anyone with eyes could see she was an attractive, smart young lady. She was the girl next door: who wouldn't expect that to be the kind of person you'd have a crush on? The reality of what kind of person he was really attracted to was a little different. 

It had been in their third year, when Scorpius spent his first Christmas with the Potter family. He was all nerves and tense with a present for the parents that his father had picked out and one for Albus. He had no idea what to do. 

The boy who woke him up was everything he could've dreamt of. A fifth year, a charming smile, and hands so warm that he could just wrap himself up in them. 

Scorpius had fallen, but James caught him. 

'You alright there, Malfoy?' 

The blond spluttered for a moment. Hands were on his lower back, supporting him. It was like something out of his mother’s novels. 

'Malfoy?' 

'Oh! Yes,' he clear his throat as unsuspiciously as he possibly could. 'Yes I'm fine thank you for-err-saving me?' 

That laugh. He could play that laugh on repeat for days. 'No problem, mate. Here, let me help you with your things.' 

'Thank you.' 

Albus had questioned him, straight after they'd seen Rose one afternoon. He'd barely conversed with her beyond polite friendly conversation. He had been too busy being very upset about the fluttering in his stomach every time he caught sight of James across the room.

'Scor, you've been weird. Like, really weird. You didn't ask Rose out even once. Are you okay?' 

'What? Yes. Of course, I'm fine.' 

Albus raised a brow. 

'Perhaps I'm finally moving on, to bigger and brighter things!' 

That holiday was both the best and the most torturous experience of his lifetime. He wanted to do it again. And again. 

But it wasn't meant to be. Midway through their fourth year he learnt more and more about James as time went on. Mostly because he was an inquisitive soul, and Albus was happy to answer any questions thrown his way. His excuse had always been that he thought Albus's older brother was 'pretty cool', and that he admitted he didn't know much about the Potter family. 

Here he learnt of four things in the space of three months: Jenny, Heather, Maggie, and Juliette. He'd pass them in the hallway sometimes once he'd memorised which photos belonged to which girl. Jenny reminded him a lot of Ginny, which Albus apparently thought was just weird and unpleasant. Heather was a cute little Hufflepuff, short and busty and full of giggles. Albus described her as an annoyance. Maggie was much more tasteful; a Ravenclaw with glasses, dark hair, and wit that cut through glass. Juliette was a Slytherin, one he actually knew. A blonde bombshell who snatched James away from Maggie with deathly claws. 

The two of them bumped into the pair in the dungeons once on the way back from the kitchens, tumbling out of a hidden alcove behind a tapestry, full of giggles. It stabbed him in the chest a little. At the same time it made him come to lose respect for the elder Potter. 

'Gross,' Albus stated blankly. 

James rolled his eyes at the boy. Juliette excused herself and tiptoed down the hall. Why was she carrying her shoes? 

'Sorry, bro,' James shrugged as he said it. The grin on his face suggested he wasn't really sorry. 'I just can't help myself. You'll understand one day. When you're as old as me.' 

'I don't mean snogging, James. I mean the fact that  _you're_ the one snogging.' 

'Am I not allowed to have fun?' 

'Just do it away from me please? Thanks.' 

'You're as bad as Lily.' 

A smile that Scorpius had come to recognised crossed Albus's face. It meant he'd found his check mate. He'd seen it a fair amount of times recently. Directed at himself. It was nice to see it directed at someone else. 

'What?' 

'Lily isn't upset because you're snogging, she's upset because-how many's that?' 

The boy had the decency to look ashamed. His brows knitted together and his face began to turn pink. 'What does that matter?' 

'You're becoming a slut.' 

James scoffed and rolled his eyes. 'You don't know what you're talking about.' 

'You do.' 

'I just-!' Brown eyes locked with Scorpius's. He looked away again. 'Never mind. I'm sorry that you had to...I'll try avoid catching your eyes next time, yeah?' 

The Gryffindor scarpered, jogging down the corridor towards the main building. Albus sighed sharply and scowled down the hall where his brother had vanished to. 

'He's so hopeless.' 

'At least he seems happy?' 

Albus bit his lip. 'That's what I'm worried about. He's a good actor.' 

As the years wore on, Scorpius matured. Or at least he hoped he did. In fifth year Albus had his first proper girlfriend, and Scorpius was invited on a blind date. He declined, explaining he wasn't really interested in women. Albus simply laughed at him and rolled his eyes with a 'I know. I'm not an idiot'. Turned out, the blind date was a boy. 

In sixth year, he had his first kiss, amongst other less savoury things. By this point he'd begun to learn he had a type. Dark hair, winning smiles. It explained James as well at the very least. He also had his first proper fight, and his first proper detention. Albus was there to hear all about it afterwards. Rose was there to be in the detention with him. 

It had surprised him when she came to his aid. They were civil, at the very least, but never particularly close. Yet when the Ravenclaw senior called him a  _dirty faggot_  and he went in with a hex, she was there to back him up when the Ravenclaw fought back. 

The three of them spent more time together, and their social circle expanded. There was Albus's girlfriend, Rose and her gossiping Hufflepuff. He enjoyed it. Being surrounded by people. It wasn't something he was overly used to. 

At the end of their seventh year he was invited by the Potters to visit Romania, as a celebration for completing his N.E.W.Ts. They had family there apparently. He didn't think he could really decline. After all, the family worked on one of the Dragon Reserves. Who would miss the chance to see those? 

It was Albus's family and Rose's family, and Albus had insisted his best mate came with them. Rose seemed quite excited by the prospect as well which he was thankful for. It made him feel like they really had become friends. 

'I've never been to Romania before,' Scorpius admitted. 'I've never seen a dragon before. Not a big one.' 

Lily piped up next to him. 'Me neither! Mum wouldn't let me come last time. She said that I was too young.' 

Rose sniggered at that. 'Too immature more like. You have a childish heart.' 

Lily pulled a face. It only went towards proving her cousin's point. 

Scorpius looked to Albus for reassurance. 'Is it safe?' 

'Sort of. Mostly. We've done less safe things.' 

'You know, I can always count on you to make me feel better about a situation.' 

'No problem.' 

The group arrived at the Portkey, Harry Potter standing in front of the five of them. The other adults and James were already at the reserve apparently, setting it all up. Lily and Hugo had joined them after they all got off at Hogwarts. 

'Ready kids?' 

They chorused and excited yes. 

'Excellent. Hold on tight!' 

Romania was an experience. They were actually staying at the reserve, having a tent set up that they could all fit in. The greeting they got when they arrived was rather wonderful. Watching the Potter-Weasley family interact was always entertaining, especially with Albus next to them as the black sheep. He was definitely the grumpiest. 

'Shall I go put our things in our room?' Scorpius offered. 'Let you have a moment with your family.' 

'Sure,' Albus muttered. 'Though I'd rather not. We should be the third door to the right.' 

'Got it.' 

Scorpius headed through the large rooms of the tent to the bedroom corridor, counting as he walked down. He opened the door and stepped into the darkness. He tried to turn on the light, but there was nothing. No spell would light the candles. He frowned and stepped in to put his things down. It was almost like all the light was being-!

' _Merlin's beard_!' 

' _Salazar,_ _what the-_?!' 

Lights flickered to life with a bang that threw him off balance and onto his arse. He saw dust settling in front of him. Though it wasn't quite dust. He could see it glinting, glittering in the light. Blues and pinks and greens. An assortment of rainbow colours. Whatever he'd knocked into had been messy. 

He saw brown eyes on the opposite side of the cloud of glitter, wide and panicked. It layered the floor and exposed James Potter sitting opposite him, covered head to toe in rainbow glitter. 

That was when Scorpius realised that it was the both of them covered in glitter. It was also when all the stories Albus had told him about his troublesome brother became a lot more believable. He really was as frustrating as Albus has described him being. 

He didn't know what it was that had sparked that silly little crush back in third year. Maybe it was just the chocolate brown eyes, as Scorpius was particularly fond of sweets. Or perhaps it had been the stylishly messy brown hair. Whatever it was, it was a trap, because James Potter was sure to be the bane of his existence.

'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you.' 

Scorpius felt a spark of anger. 'What on earth are you doing?'

James shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. 'I was setting it up for Lily. She loves glitter, so glitter shower-it made sense as a prank for her.' 

He snorted. 'Wonderful. How long will it last?' 

James bit down on the tiniest smile. 

'Potter?' 

'Maybe a few hours?' 

' _Hours_?' It was the worst day ever. 'Al's never going to let me live this down.' 

'It could be worse!' 

'How?' 

'It could be permanent?' 

He couldn't glare hard enough. 

The door flew open at the worst moment. Albus was standing in the doorway with Rose behind him, wide eyed and startled. Scorpius tried not to look too put out by it all. James wasn't helping with his friendly wave. 

'What's going on?' Albus asked finally. 

'Scorpius sprung my trap for Lily.' 

The Malfoy scoffed. 'You attacked me with glitter, don't go turning this around.' 

'I mean that is what happened. I'm not saying its your fault, but...' 

'But? How is there even a remote chance for a but in this situation?!' 

Albus stepped into the room and offered a hand out for Scorpius. 'Okay keep it together. You're meant to be the calm one out of the two of us,' he said to the blonde. 'Rose can you like...deal with James? I'll try get this stuff off Scor.' 

'A few hours,' Scorpius advised as Rose ushered her elder cousin out the room with scolding words and Albus raised his wand to try clean the mess. 'He said it was going to last a few hours.' 

'Are you alright?' 

'I'm so glittery.' 

Albus stifled laughter. 

'I'm glad you find it amusing at least.' 

'I'm sorry-it is kind of funny. He's going to be in so much trouble, don't worry. We can get him back later if you like?' 

'I feel like I'd be challenging the devil if I tried to get revenge. It might be better to not. Just let your parents dish out the discipline.’

'That's fair,' Albus scowled as he lowered his wand. 'I can't get it off.' 

'I'm going to die in a glittery heap.' 

'A few hours is what he said, yeah? So it'll wear off by dinner time!'  

It hadn't worn off by dinner time. He had to sit round a table full of people, including their Uncle Charlie who he was meeting for the first time, covered in rainbow glitter. Lily kept poking James. At least he was sat between Albus and Rose. 

'Don’t glare too hard, you might set him on fire.' 

Scorpius flushed and looked down at Ron Weasley's words. He had been glaring at James. He probably shouldn't at the dinner table. It was rude. 

Ginny disagreed apparently. 'You glare all you want, Scorpius. You set him on fire. The glitter will hopefully be extra flammable.' 

'Mother!' 

'You dug your own grave, James. Be prepared to burn in it.' 

Scorpius suddenly never felt more at home. 

By the time dinner had ended, the glitter had finally started falling to the floor. Harry encouraged Scorpius to use the shower first, telling James that he could clean the mess that he'd made. At the very least, Lily did seem to appreciate the prank. Just not quite in the way it had perhaps been intended. 

That evening when he was sat in the room he would be sharing with Albus there was the sound of someone clearing their throat by their open door. He looked up to see James leaning against the door frame with a shy smile and his hands stuffed in his pockets. 

'Hey,' he greeted. 'Can I come in?' 

Scorpius nodded after a few moments. James headed over and sat down on Albus's bed. 

'I just wanted to properly apologise. For covering you in a glitter shower. I got Albus and Lily's rooms mixed up. It was my fault.' 

The man looked like a kicked puppy. Scorpius couldn’t bring himself to stay mad. 'It's alright.' 

'Really?' 

'Just don't do it again for the love of Dumbledore I do not want it to happen again.' 

He smiled that winning smile that had Scorpius melt on the spot. 'You got it!' 

Albus appeared to usher his brother out the room and Scorpius was left with a racing heartbeat. The man may have had questionable actions and a personality that was a little...bombastic, but Scorpius would be lying if he said he didn't think he was incredibly, stupidly attractive. 

\---

The second day in to the holiday, Scorpius had been abandoned with James. Ron had been in charge of looking after them today, and James had said he was going to go have a little stroll away from his 'uncool family members' for a while. Scorpius and Albus asked James to take the Malfoy boy with him. Ron made him really quite uncomfortable, and Albus knew he'd never get away with trying to escape. 

If anything, James just seemed like the lesser of two evils. 

James had agreed, seeing as Scorpius wasn't a family member, just uncool. But at least that was better. 

Scorpius followed a bit like a lost puppy as they wandered through the reserve. They hadn't really said much to each other. It had been very simple. The silence was killing him a little, though James did seem to want peace and quiet. 

'Don't you want to know where we're going?' 

Scorpius started at the question. 'Oh! Yes, I do.' 

James chuckled. 'I don't mind talking you know. I did tell you I wouldn't throw another glitter bomb at you.' 

He grimaced at the memory. 

'We're going to the incubation theatre. They have two baby dragons in at the moment that need extra care. Charlie showed me them before you came,' James explained. 'I wanted to see them again.' 

That sounded actually adorable. 'That's really cool.' 

'They don't like having lots of people in. Or loudness. And our family is both of those things, so,' James shrugged. 'I'm only allowed in when I'm on my own.' 

'Oh.' 

'But you're pretty quiet, so that'll be fine.' 

He was glad. He really wanted to see a baby dragon. 

'How are you enjoying your holiday so far?'

'It's pretty good! I mean, I really enjoy it. Two weeks as well, wow. I hope we get to see a lot.' 

'We will, there's plenty to see. Usually Hermione likes to go into the local village too so that'll be fun.' 

'What's there to see?' 

'Not too much, it's a lot like Hogsmeade I guess. There's some really quaint little shops that sell dragon-type souvenirs, some cafes and the world's best pub- _mm-_ can't get enough of it.' 

Scorpius snorted with laughter. 

'That's better.' 

'What?' 

James winked. 'You've got a nice laugh. It really brightens up your face.' 

He had to duck his head down to hide his embarrassment. 

They eventually arrived at a wooden building and James knocked three times before opening the door with a key. He brought his finger to his lips in a shushing motion as he opened the door. Scorpius followed diligently. 

In the centre of the room was two nests, one with a sleeping horntail, and one with a dragon who was moving about like a snake. James headed over without fear and held a hand out, allowing the dragon to inspect him. 

'Come on, they don't bite. Well I mean they do, but they're babies so It's not that bad.' 

Scorpius nodded and headed towards the man with some trepidation. It was a sight he never imagined to see. Blue scales that shimmered green as he moved, frills round his neck, and tiny wings that didn't quite seem to know how to move properly yet. The tail was long and wrapped round James's wrist. He was beautiful. 

'Charlie showed me them as soon as I arrived, a few days before you guys, so I'm kind of familiar with them. Hopefully that means they'll be well behaved.' 

'I'm hearing a lot of uncertainty here.' 

'Gotta leave myself some wriggle room, just in case they do something they shouldn't and you claim I didn’t warn you.' 

Scorpius bit down on his lip and reached forward to run his fingertips across the long tail. He was so smooth and cool. 'You're really good with him.' 

James reached a hand out as he pet the baby dragon, a small smile dancing on his lips. It was an expression that Scorpius didn't think he'd ever seen the older man wear before. A strange serene look. He wasn't plotting anything, wasn't causing trouble, wasn't having boisterous fun. 

'I always loved magical creatures. Any kind of creature.' 

The tone of his voice was so soothing. The dragon clearly agreed as it croaked into his hand for more pets before curling into a ball. James lowered his arm back to the nest for the dragon to rest.

'There's something great about looking after them, you know?' 

He could've lost himself in those brown eyes, framed by brown hair and freckled cheeks. The perfectly pink lips that looked soft. Un-cracked. Kissable. 

'Don't look at me like that, I know it's lame, I just,' James gave one of his winning grins. Scorpius felt a long-buried emotion surface. 'I can't help it.' 

Scorpius spoke before he even thought. 'Can I kiss you?' 

James's eyes widened and his brows shot up. The sudden change in atmosphere brought the blonde back to his senses and he felt his face set alight and his heart race in his chest. 

'That's not-!' He panicked. 'I'm sorry I don't know what came over me that was very uncharacteristic of me I didn't mean to-!' 

'You can if you want.' 

Scorpius stopped in his tracks. His mind went blank. 'What?' 

One corner of James’s lips pulled up in a badly hidden smile and his brows cocked. 'What?' 

'Did you just say...?' 

'You can kiss me if you want.' 

Scorpius felt his heart trying to break free from it's cage. He licked his lips as his eyes flickered to James's. He nodded in such a small gesture he thought James might miss it. 

He didn't. 

The taller man swooped down and captured his lips. Grey eyes fluttered shut and he held his breath as he allowed himself to melt forward. It lasted for exactly four seconds before James pulled back. Scorpius didn't open his eyes. He could feel James still close, breath ghosting across his face. 

'How was that?' 

'Enlightening.' 

There was a low chuckle. Scorpius felt it run through him. It was a pleasant sensation. 'I'm glad to be of help.' 

He swallowed a lump in his throat and opened his eyes. James was still there. 'Do it again would you?' 

'Ask nicely and I'll think about it.' 

'Please?' 

James's eyes darkened and he leant forward again, his hand coming up to thread into Scorpius's hair and bring him closer. 

It lasted longer than four seconds that time. He got so sucked up in the feeling of James's mouth on his, the tongue brushing against his lips, the fingers tightening in his hair, that he didn't keep track of how long. 

When they separated he was breathless. 

'That was pretty bloody nice,' James muttered. 

Scorpius smirked. 'Thanks. You weren’t so bad either.' 

'Ha!' He grinned wide. 'You do have a sense of humour.' 

Scorpius took a step back. 'Yes, well, thank you for humouring me with,' he faltered and blushed. 'That. My curiosity gets the better of me sometimes.' 

'If you get curious about anything else...' James started. His eyes scanned Scorpius from head to toe. He felt a shiver go through him. 'Just let me know. On a purely friendship level, might I add.' 

It was a breath of relief. He smiled in a way that could only be described as coy, as much as he hated to admit it. 'Good. It can be difficult when you want to learn more but don’t have anyone willing to teach.' 

'I'm very willing to teach. I have a lot of knowledge to pass on.' 

Was this flirting? He was fairly certain this was flirting. 

'Y’know, I never thought you were that fond of me, Scor.' 

He snorted. 'Maybe we just needed to let out some pent up frustration.'

'In that case,' James stepped forward again. 'I think I haven't quite let all mine out yet.' 

\---

He had never been so tense in his life. 

The whole family sat round the breakfast table, Potters on one side, Weasleys on the other, with himself placed between Albus and Rose. James was sat opposite him that day. He had the nerve to smirk. 

'Scorpius, would you like some toast?' 

'Oh-uh-no thank you Mrs-I mean-Hermione.' 

She smiled warmly, seemingly not noticing anything. He supposed he had been stutter-y and awkward at all the big family events they'd had, so it wasn't a massive change. 

'I'll have some, Hermione,' James requested as he held his plate out. 'I'm starving.' 

'You're always starving, Jamie,' his mother shot with a roll of her eyes. He blew a raspberry at her. 

Scorpius looked back down at his plate. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be. 

Through all the noise and commotion, Albus nudged him on the arm to get his attention. He mouthed a quick 'okay?' Which Scorpius returned with a nod and a smile. Albus took it though he didn't seem overly convinced. No doubt he'd have questions for later when they were on their own. At least he wouldn't have to explain himself in front of everyone. He hadn't decided what he was going to say, if anything. 

The day before they'd agreed to keep it between themselves. If they were just wanting to explore and be curious, or let out some pent up frustration, they didn't really want to have to explain it to everyone. 

Later on when they were all getting ready to head out again, Albus cornered him. In the nicest, most friendly manner. 

'Are you alright? Has Uncle Ron said something to you?' 

Scorpius couldn't help but find that funny. Ron Weasley had accidentally said a couple of things over the past two days and apologised for each of them instantly. 'No, not this time. I think I'm getting there with your uncle. I'm trying to learn how to just-how did your dad say?-take it with a pinch of salt.' 

'He's an utter nightmare sometimes.' 

Scorpius laughed. 'I don't do well in new places. I think I haven't quite been getting enough sleep.' 

'We don't have to go out every day if you don't want to. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if we decide to stay back today.' 

'I don't want to change my mind now. Besides, we get to see some of the bigger dragons today, right? I don't want to miss that.' 

Albus gave a typical Potter grin. One of the few typical things about him. 'Great! I'm sure getting some fresh air will wake you up!' 

He felt almost bad for lying to Albus. They were best friends. Tied at the hip. Went to hell and back together. But here he was, lying that he was just tired and that it wasn't because he found Albus's big brother incredibly attractive and a fantastic kisser. That had nothing to do with it. 

They were at the dinner table having a light meal before they went out. Eventually he excused himself from the table and headed to the bathroom to get ready and psyche himself up. He didn't notice someone else follow him. 

He went to shut the door open to find someone slip in behind him. 

'James!' 

The man grinned sheepishly. 'What, is this a bad time?' 

'I mean I wouldn't call it a good time exactly.' 

'I can turn it into a good time.' 

Scorpius felt blood rushing to his face. He resisted the urge to throw a hex. 'What are you doing here?' He hissed. 

'I dunno. I thought I'd say hi. See how you were doing.' 

'I'm fine, thank you. How're you?' 

James grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets. 'Yeah I'm pretty good, thanks for asking.' 

'You're welcome.' 

'So I'm going to be honest with you, Scor. You're a pretty cool dude, I'm a pretty cool dude, and I also had a lot of fun yesterday. I would love to do it again in a very platonic friendship way, if you would also like to. If not, that's fine, no worries, you just let me know.' 

Did someone spike his drink? 

'So what do you say? Do you want to be two mature adult males exploring the realms of sexuality together?' 

He didn't know what possessed him to say yes.

\---

It was difficult, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't completely and utterly worth it. Every now and then James would manage to whisk him off for one reason or another, corner him in a dark room, offer to accompany him or show him how to get somewhere. It seemed that James was most familiar with the area, and few questions were asked. 

Scorpius wasn't idle about it either. He would slip away from Albus as the dark-haired man slept like a hibernating bear and meet James in the bathroom or the courtyard, hiding from view under the invisibility cloak that the elder Potter seemed to take everywhere. 

It was exactly what he needed. Heated snogging and rough groping while the rest of the world was asleep. 

The days passed too quickly for Scorpius's liking. Ten days had gone by before he'd realised and he'd seen more wonders than he could've ever hoped to. It was going to make his poor little sheltered heart burst in his chest. 

His proudest fete was that no one had seemed to notice. James was pretty subtle for a loud, flamboyant Gryffindor, and the whirling excitement of the trip had everyone distracted enough it was easy. It helped that Scorpius knew Albus like the back of his hand. 

He snuck out the room he shared with Albus and tiptoed through the hall towards the main room of the tent. James was there, as diligent as ever. It was definitely an admirable trait. 

'Is he still sleeping?' 

'Like a baby.' 

James grinned. 'Excellent. I found somewhere that would be nice to go to, if you're happy to go a little further away today?' 

The question caught him by surprise. He felt his heart beat faster. 'Sure. Not too far though. I'd rather not be mauled by a dragon.' 

'I'll keep you safe.' 

He would've swooned if he didn't know better. 

He followed a few paces behind James as they set out further away from the cabin. It was quite a spectacular place at night, forest full of plants and fungus that would probably be quite interesting to study. Eventually James came to an abrupt stop and spun round with needless flare and hand gestures.

They'd stopped at an open forest clearing. Not a large one, but big enough for them both to sit comfortably. Quite sweet really. He gave a little 'ta-da' and wiggled his fingers before he drew his wand and cleared some of the leaves, opening a mossy little bed for the pair. 

'I thought it'd be nice to have some time together,' James explained. 'I can tell that you've been...thinking too hard. And Hugo is driving me mental. He's at that awkward stage of his life where he's an annoying little shit.' 

Scorpius sniggered. 'I can't deny that. Either of those things. Rose tells me I think too hard regularly. Apparently it isn't good for my skin.' 

'It's not,' James assured. 'And you have such wonderful skin.' 

'Thanks.' 

The older man sat down on the floor and patted the space. Scorpius sat, if a bit awkwardly, and tried to find words to start the conversation. It was a difficult one to have. 

'So,' James offered. 'What's been on your mind?' 

'The premature disposal of your Uncle Ron?' 

He laughed out loud at that one. 'Yeah okay I'll give you that. Hugo might get on my nerves but I think if Ron suspiciously pokes you one more time Al might eat his fingers.' 

'I can't say I'd mind. I feel like he's trying to get a rise out of me.' 

'He probably is. If it makes you feel any better, Lily and I caught Hermione giving him a very stern talking to earlier today. Apparently she doesn't approve of the way he's treating his daughter's friend, regardless of whether or not he approves.' 

'I was surprised that Ginny spoke up during dinner.' 

James chuckled. 'I'm not. She's very...outspoken. I get compared to her sometimes. Big hearted with a temper to match.' 

'I appreciate it. Sometimes I feel a bit,' he tried to find the words. 'Out of place. But it helps when your mum does things like that. And your Aunt Hermione might be very constant, but she's always trying to include me.' 

'They're good women. Ron's a good man he's just...he takes a while to warm up to new people sometimes.' 

Scorpius nodded. It made sense. 

'Are you having a good holiday at least?' 

'I am. It's been really good. I've learnt a lot-about dragons. I mean about other things too but I was talking about the dragons-!' 

'Relax,' James said with a playful tilt to his voice. He leant forward, looking up through dark lashes. 'May I?' 

He nodded. 

James leant forward and captured his lips in a kiss. 

'James,' he pulled back for a moment. 'Before we-I wanted to know something.' 

'Course, what's up?' 

'How far are you willing to...do?' 

The brunette pursed his lips and paused for a moment. Like it was something he needed to think hard about. 'I dunno. I'm happy to go as far as you want to. I get the impression that you have more reservations than I do.' 

That was fair. 'Yes. Probably. I'd like to-uhm-I'd like to go a little further today.' 

James gave a gentle smile. 'How about we go with the flow? You don't need to plan out each and every detail for this sort of thing. You just...go with it.’ 

'Okay.' 

'You're fine, Scor. You're wonderful.' 

Scorpius's arms wrapped around James's neck with practiced ease. Within moments they were in their usual tangle of limbs as they grappled lazily at one another for some sort of dominance, James eventually easing the blonde into a lying position on his back. There was something nice about being able to run his hands down the shoulder blades and spine of the brunette. Something he knew he wouldn't be able to have if he was the one on top. 

His fingers found their way to the front of James's night robes, feeling the decorative ties that held them together. He paused for a moment before he began to work at the fastenings. He wanted to savour the moment. 

The robes fell open to show a pair of muggle jeans and a bare chest. Looking down at the clear strength toned in his stomach made Scorpius suddenly feel a lot more self conscious about his own lanky build. 

James sat up in order to shrug the robes off and Scorpius felt his breath hitch in his throat as his face began to warm up. There was a powerful aura that James seemed to ooze that rubbed him just the right way. He began to roam his hands up the tanned forearms which eventually joined with the paler skin of his collar and lead across his chest to his stomach, a trial of hair beckoning him further down. 

When he looked up there was a smirk decorating James's face. It felt like a challenge as one thumb slipped into the belt loop of his trousers. Scorpius took it. 

He popped the button and undid the zip. His breath caught in his throat at the sight and he was fairly certain that the noise he made was audible. His heart pounded in his chest and everything suddenly felt far too tight.  

'What?' James's voice held a  teasing tilt to it. 'Never seen a guy go commando before?' 

Honestly? No. But it felt so pathetic to say that out loud. James chuckled and leant down, his lips descending and his eyes half lidded. 

'I guess now you can really see what you do to me.' 

The words were like electricity that shot through his body and down to his groin. He bit down on his lip and nodded at the statement. He could feel the heat through the fabric. The stiffness of James. 

'Are you going to get me all worked up just to leave me hanging, or are you going to do something about it?' 

Oh, he was going to do something about it alright. 

\---

Scorpius grimaced as his mind got used to the world. He was sore, and kind of cold. He cracked an eye open to see the sunlight dancing through the gaps in the trees. He tried to rack his brains for memories of the night before. He didn't have to wait too long before he got a pleasant reminder. 

Arms snaked round his waist as the person behind him turns around. Of course. That was what the night before was. He should've been able to tell from that odd after taste in his mouth.

'Get off me.' 

There was a mumble into the back of his chest. He tried to keep a steady head. 

'I'll scream if you don't get off me.' 

James grumbled and sat up, smacking his lips together. He had twigs in his hair and his eyes weren't quite fully open. 

'Have you been...drooling?' 

‘What? Oh shit!' he sprung up and began to wipe the side of his mouth. 'This isn't the most flattering look for me.' 

Scorpius pushed himself up and looked around them. Robes were used as a blanket. No wonder he was cold if they'd spent the night out here. Though he imagined it probably wasn't a long sleep. It seemed as thought the sun was only just rising. 

'Did you enjoy your night?' 

Scorpius felt his face warm up at the question. He definitely did. He thoroughly enjoyed it. Who knew giving pleasure like that could be so rewarding? From the knowing smirk and the devilish eyes he had a feeling James knew. 

'I'll take your silence as a yes.'

‘We need to go back to the tent. Before the rest of them wake up.' 

James swore under his breath and stood while grabbing his robes. Scorpius averted his eyes. Not that it wasn't a sight he didn’t want to see. They got themselves ready and began to head back. Silently. 

The pair stepped in to the hallway where the rooms split off. James stepped forward and captured his lips in a rather rushed, forceful kiss. 

‘Cheers for a good night then.' 

Scorpius shoved the man away. James winked before he left for his own room he shared with Hugo. The blonde took a moment to watch him leave, admiring the way his hips moved and twigs still lingered in his hair. 

He turned round and froze. Green eyes were staring straight at him. 

He quickly cast a silencio and shut the door to their shared room. 

'Sweet Dumbledore's hat. That really just happened.' 

'Albus, I want you to stay calm. I want you to think about this in a rational, logical manner. There is no need to panic. None at all.' 

'My brother just-!' Albus sat down on the bed. 'You just let him-!' 

'I can understand your discomfort. I should've told you myself rather than you seeing it. I apologise.' 

'I've been sat waiting for you to get back and you were out with James, in the forest, just the...two...' He looked like he was going a little green. 'I think I'm going to be sick.' 

'I mean I would really rather you weren't you know how I feel about vomit.' 

Albus looked up with pleading eyes. 'Please tell me you haven't slept with my brother.' 

Scorpius paused. 'I haven't slept with your brother.' 

'Please be honest with me about whether or not you've slept with my brother.' 

Damn. 'I haven't slept with your brother, we just...did other things.' 

Albus was up on his feet again, pacing the room. 'Fucking Merlin I can't believe you've almost slept with my brother.' 

'It's really not as bad as you think.' 

'You're joking, right?' 

'I mean, look at it this way,' Scorpius started. Albus waited. He didn't know what to say. 'Just...give me five minutes to think of something.' 

'Oh my  _Godric_ _Scorpius what the fuck_?!' 

'I know! I know, I'm the world's worst best friend please don't be mad at me!' 

'I'm gonna fucking deck him where is he?' 

'Please don't punch your brother. I rather like his face.' 

Albus made a gagging sound. 

'At least...it's not your sister?' 

'I don't know which is worse. Have you even met James? He's stubborn, crude, slobbish, messy, childish-!' 

Scorpius could think of a few other things that he was. 

'I have no words. I have no words to summarise this betrayal.' 

'You're overexaggerating. He's not  _that_ bad anymore.' 

Albus groaned. 'You're trapped under his spell! You can't even see it!' 

'When was the last time he-?' 

'He put slugs in mine and Lily's beds last Christmas.' 

Scorpius bit his lip. 'Yeah. I remember that.' 

'And you don't even  _care_!' 

'I do care! I do, I promise.' 

'How long has this been going on for?' 

Scorpius rubbed the back of his neck and refused to meet Albus's gaze. 'How long have we been here now?' 

'Two weeks?!' 

'Has it really been two weeks already?' 

He groaned loudly and flopped down on his bed. His voice became muffled by the sheets. 'Filthy brother-fucker!' 

'Wow, rude?' 

'My life is over.' 

Scorpius rolled his eyes. 'Oh come on, Al. You didn't have a problem when I was asking Rose out.' 

'Yeah,  _Rose_! Who also wasn't remotely interested in you! And is my wonderful cousin, not my  _evil brother_!' 

'He's not evil, just,' his lips twitched. 'Creative.' 

'You're so smitten oh my Merlin look at your face you're head over heels there's nowhere left to run.' 

'No-no I'm not there are no feelings involved in this at all.'

'What do you mean?! Are you using my brother?' Albus's eyes narrowed. 'Is my brother using you?!' 

'No! Al, I really think you need to calm down about this.' 

The boy flailed his arms in the air. 'No! Never! I refuse to calm down! Refuse!' 

'I suppose if you want to be difficult about this.' 

'You pulled the face! That cute little 'smitten with a crush' face! Over James! My brother!' Albus shrieked. ' _James Sirius Potter_!' 

'Yes I did you're right I'm sorry.' 

'I'm going to die here.' 

'No you're not.' 

'You're going to get married and have gross little puppies because neither of you like children and then I'm going to have to put up with my brother for the rest of my life.' 

Scorpius felt his face heat up and his heart beat faster. Though he was fairly certain that was fear he was feeling. 'First off: we are releasing pent up frustration, that's not a marriage proposal.' 

'Ew. Gross. No. Don't say stuff like that.' 

'Second: you already had to put up with your brother. He's your brother. It's part of the deal.' 

'I don't remember signing any contract saying I had to keep him.' 

Scorpius sat down on the bed next to Albus. The boy continued to stare at the ceiling. The silence began to stretch out and Scorpius felt his thoughts wander as he stared off into space. Was he using James? The older man never seemed to think much of it, and never had any complaints. 

'Are you happy?' 

The question threw him for a moment. Green eyes were locked with his own again, the freckled face schooled into the perfect poker face. Scorpius nodded. 

'Good. So long as you're happy.' 

'Thanks, Al.' 

'I'll just sit and wallow in the misery of the fact that my brother and my best friend are having sex, it's fine.' 

'We haven't have sex.' 

'Yet.' 

He was joking now. Scorpius could tell. He nudged Albus with his foot and they finally exchanged a smile. 

\---

Albus was not subtle. The next morning he couldn't count the amount of times he caught his best friend staring mindlessly at James. He was fairly certain James noticed seeing as he kept looking to Scorpius for reassurance. Occasionally one of their parents would question the exchange between the brothers, Harry checking that Albus was okay, Ginny asking James what he did  _this_ time, but Albus would brush it off and James would have a new excuse every time she asked, each as ridiculous and unbelievable as the last. Eventually they rolled their eyes and gave up. 

They were walking up to the Portkey point when James managed to catch him a few meters behind the group, slowing down his pace. 

'Hey, what's up with Al?' 

Scorpius cringed. 'Do we have to talk about this now?' 

'Yes. Tell me.' 

'Alright. He saw us come back last night.' 

James raised a brow. Then he scowled and looked away. Then his eyes widened and snapped back, his jaw hanging open. 

'Yes. I know.' 

'Shit.' 

'Yup.' 

James's cheeks began to darken and he looked forward where the family was walking. Albus was with Lily and Rose, chatting mindlessly about nothing in particular no doubt. Albus glanced over his shoulder just in time to glare daggers at the pair. 

'How did he take it?' 

Scorpius tilted his head from side to side. 'Eh, you know, I wouldn't say it went well exactly.'

'Damn. What did you say?' 

'I just explained that we were friends. That there wasn't anything more.' 

James nodded. 'So long as he knows what's happening, I guess. It would be hard to keep him in the dark. I'd feel bad making you lie to him all the time.' 

'Especially if we get a flat together.' 

'You're getting a flat together? When?' 

Scorpius shrugged. 'He said he didn't want to move back home, now we've finished school. Rose agrees apparently. The three of us have been looking for a place, now that Rose and I are better friends than we were.' 

'Wow. That's going to be weird. My little bro will have moved out of home before I do.' 

'You live at home?' 

'I wouldn't give up mother's food for the world.' 

Scorpius rolled his eyes. 'Of course. Stomach. Should've guessed.'

'Wait, does this mean you want to keep...doing what we're doing when we get back to England?' 

'Maybe. I wouldn't object to the idea.'

The parents at the top of the hill shouted for the pair to hurry up. They were getting ready round the portkey. 

James grinned at Scorpius and began to pick up his pace. 'I think I'll say yes then!' 

\---

_Awkward_ would probably be the best way to describe how things went from there. They didn't see much of each other until the apartment for the three of them were sorted. James helped Albus move after Scorpius and Rose were already there. He was all smiles and sunshine, completely normal. Not a jittery mess like Scorpius felt like. 

It wasn't until James placed a hand on his lower back while the other two were turned he felt a little more relaxed. The circular motion of his thumb put Scorpius at ease. 

'So, lil bro, you going to permit me entry at any time to your house?' 

'No.' 

James looked crestfallen. 'What? Why?!' 

'I don't trust you.' 

The boy blew a raspberry. 'Fuck that you can trust me fine.'

'I'll allow floo. Not apparition.' 

'I'll take it.' 

From there they fell into a routine of sorts. Scorpius would owl James when he knew that the house would be safe of flatmates, and James would floo over for a quick personal visit. Their meetings got more heated, more explorative, but never all the way so to speak. Always staying in territory that could be quickly finished in case of early returns from Albus and Rose. 

It was soon not enough for Scorpius. Despite his better judgement he wanted more. He wanted to know exactly what it felt like to have James completely and utterly. And there was only one way he could think of making that happen: with Albus's assistance. 

'Al, I need the flat to myself one evening.' 

Albus raised a brow. 'Why?' 

He shuffled his feet awkwardly from his place by Albus's doorway. 'Because. I'd like to invite someone round. For the evening.' 

Green eyes narrowed. 'You're asking me for help so you can finally get absolutely rammed by my brother, aren't you?' 

'What the-! Must you phrase it like that?!' 

'You are!' Albus exclaimed. 'You want me to take Rose out knowing all the while exactly what kind of foul, disgraceful behaviour will be happening!' 

'Yes, okay, I want you to take your cousin out for at least four hours one day and give me the run of the house so I can have sex. There, I said it. Are you happy now?' 

'No,' Albus grumbled. 'But I will.' 

'What, really?' 

'Yes. Because I love you. More than James at least. And friends are supposed to help each other with these sorts of things. Even if those friends are sleeping with their brothers.' 

Scorpius felt his heart swell. 'Thank you so much! I'll make it up to you, I promise!' 

'Make it up to me by making sure there is no evidence he was ever here before we get back.' 

'I will. I promise. You have my word.' 

Albus organised to take Rose out to the muggle cinema to see one of their silly little animated films, and said they'd probably get food while they were out. Rose seemed quite happy with that agreement, suggesting that Albus brought his girlfriend along, who seemed quite happy to join them. Scorpius politely declined. Muggle cinemas weren't really his thing. 

James came round approximately half an hour after they left. It gave Scorpius time to prepare everything. Not that there really was much to prepare. He mostly busied himself with tidying the house and making sure that he wasn't going to melt into a puddle of pure nerves. 

'Scor?' The man appeared almost breathless. 'Are you-are they-?' 

'Yes,' Scorpius promised. All he had said in his message was that the house was empty. 'They've gone out for the evening. Al is taking Rose for a film and dinner with his girlfriend.' 

James grinned widely as he shirked off his jacket and raced forward to meet Scorpius half way. The kiss was hungry, passionate, full of everything they always kept bottled up while sneaking around the house. But not that time. That time they could do whatever they wanted wherever they wanted. Within reason. 

'I want to have sex.' 

James seemed taken aback by the statement, eyes blowing comically wide. It was kind of funny. 'I'm sorry I don't think I quite heard you right  _what_?' 

Scorpius swallowed his fear. 'I want to have sex. Like properly. Not the groping and oral and hand stuff we've been doing. I want proper full you-inside-of-me kind of sex.' 

'Wow. Okay.' 

'Okay?' 

'Yes please.' 

Scorpius nodded. 'Good. I'm glad we cleared that up. Let's retire to my room.' 

He didn't have chance to speak before James had lifted him up and was kissing him up against the door, stumbling as they blindly snogged through the hallways towards Scorpius's room. It wasn't completely smooth. There were a couple of moments where he thought they may fall onto their faces, but James was doing a good job at guiding them to their destination. 

Before he knew it he was on his back on the soft sheets of his bed, James towering over him kissing a trail down his chest as the man kicked his shoes off. It was a dulled sensation through the fabric of his robes, but the noises were half the stimulation. 

'So you want to do this with you on the bottom?' 

If he was honest with himself that was pretty accurate. He nodded. 

'Alright, I can work with that. I haven't, err,' he cleared his throat. 'I haven't really done this with men much. I researched the basics already just in case-not that I thought this would happen, but you know, best to be prepared and all that.' 

Scorpius's eyes flickered across the tanned face and realisation dawned. 'Are you embarrassed?' 

'What makes you say that?' 

'You're rambling,' he pointed out. 'And are your cheeks going pink?' 

'Ha, I can assure you, my cheeks are not going pink.'

'They definitely are,' Scorpius felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. 'With all your talk I would've thought this would be something you're confident with.' 

'Yeah, well, maybe all the talk kind of digs me into a hole instead of giving me confidence. I don't want to have got your hopes up and then disappoint you.' 

'Don't worry, my hopes aren't up.' 

James frowned at first, processing the words. It was entertaining to watch someone figure out exactly what you meant. Apparently, the insult was all he needed to kick the boy out of his embarrassed ramblings as he gave a dramatic gasp and tried to hide his amused smile. 

'The cheek!' The Gryffindor exclaimed. 'In that case I'll make sure I shatter your world.' 

His world really was shattered. 

\---

They got riskier. James began visiting at least three times a week, and usually one of those times he came in the middle of the night when everyone else was in bed. With wards and charms in place they felt like they could get away with it. Scorpius felt he could get away with it. He was never one for breaking the rules or living life on the edge, usually that only happened when he got caught up in an adventure. But this time he couldn't resist. 

There was something absolutely wonderful about his door creaking open, the invisibility cloak falling to reveal James's dashing smile in the doorway. 

It was perfect. 

They managed to fall comfortably enough into it that it was completely normal outside in public too. They became what people could consider friends, no bickering or clashing. But not too good friends. Friends with some distance between them, so no one would grow suspicious. 

Though he wondered if people did get suspicious when they would be at the same bar with two different friendship groups and they would head to the bathroom at coincidentally the same time and share a cubicle. It was a little embarrassing when they exited the cubicle at the same time to find Albus stood washing his hands. 

'I think I'm going to be sick.' 

Scorpius had made a mental note to be a little more careful when they were in public areas. 

He should've known to be more careful in private ones too. He woke up late, much later than usual. Though in his defence they tended not to  _sleep_ sleep together. After the first night in the forest when they cuddled under robes, James had suggested the best idea would be for him to leave straight after. Avoid groggy, badly made decisions. 

Scorpius swore as he woke up to the sound of his name being shouted from somewhere else in the apartment. His legs were tangled up in James's, who had star fished across the bed. Scorpius gave him a shove to wake up, finally getting a response. 

_'Scorpius?'_ The voice was closer. It was Rose. ' _Are you awake yet?'_

'James,' he hissed. 'You need to get the fuck up right now.' 

The brunette had begun to wake up to the situation. He was on his feet in seconds, looking round for a hiding place. 'Where's the cloak?' 

There was a knock on the door.  _'Scor, it's past noon!_ _We’re going to be late_ _!'_

'We don't have time!' Scorpius panicked. 'You have to hide!' 

James looked around before he opened the wardrobe and tried to shuffle in. 'Shut the door behind me!' 

_'That's it, I'm coming in!'_

Scorpius cursed and dived forward to slam the door shut the same time that the door to his room opened. His back was pressed up against the wardrobe which was silent. He was thankful he'd inisisted on putting his underwear back on the night before right before passing out.

Rose was in the doorway, arms folded over her chest. 'Do you have any idea what time it is? You're not even dressed yet!' 

'I know, I'm awful. A terrible human being. What time is it?' 

'It's nearly one o'clock, we're meant to be going out with Maggie and Thomas today, remember?' 

'Shit, yes, I forgot. We are.' 

'What are you hiding?' Rose questioned as she came face to face with him, leaning in close. 

'What are you talking about?' 

'You know exactly what I'm talking about. You can't hide it from me. What's in the closet, pretty boy?' 

Scorpius laughed nervously. 'Haha, good one, please leave me alone.' 

She looked around the room. He could see the cogs in her brain turning. He had to stop this train wreck before it set on fire. 

'How about I tell you over a coffee in the kitchen? Oh, and maybe a bacon sandwich. I am starving.' 

'Alright. Fine. Lead the way.' 

'Right after you.' 

She turned and began to walk to the door. He let out a breath and began to follow, grabbing his dressing robes as he did to cover his naked skin.  

She moved too fast. 

' _Alohamora_!' 

'Rose no!' 

He ran towards her to try and tackle her to the ground, to  _something_ , but he wasn't fast enough. The doors to the wardrobe flew open and the tall man stumbled out and fell in an unceremonious heap on the floor in front of it. But out of view at least, hidden by the bed. Rose gasped and tried to shoot forwards. Scorpius caught her and fought to get her back, trying to block her view. 

'Who was that?!' 

'None of your business, Rose!' 

Her eyes were wide with excitement. 'Do you have a  _boy_ in your  _room_?' 

'Can't we talk about this outside?!' 

She gasped and looked down at him, a wide smile on her face. 'You do! Who is it?! Tell me who!' 

'No!' 

'Please?! Please, please, ple-!' She stopped struggling as something caught her eye behind him. Her mouth hung open with disbelief. He was almost frightened to turn around. 

'Hi, Rosie.' 

He glanced behind. There stood James in all his glory, looking sheepish and uncertain. Scorpius raked his eyes over the bare torso that held the marks of the night before and the robe that was being held over his crotch. There was no way she could misinterpret this. It was exactly what it looked like. 

'James...' She muttered. ' _James_?!' 

'That's my name, don't wear it out!' 

It was a half hearted attempt at a joke, but it was sweet that he tried at least. 

'You two are together?!' 

'No!' 

They looked at each other as they spoke at the same time. At least they were on the same page. 

'No,' James clarified. 'We're not, we're just...' 

He looked at Scorpius for support. The Slytherin tried to find the right words as he summed it up: 'Strengthening our friendship.' 

'You know...' She started. 'Usually people strengthen their friendship by going flying together. Or having coffee. Not by having sex.' 

'I wanted to try something different?' 

'Does Al know about this?' 

Scorpius nodded. 

'What does he think?' 

'There are good days and bad days. Sometimes it's 'oh woe is me my life is over'. Sometimes its 'this is gross you're gross get out my sight you brother-fucking filth.'' 

James sniggered. 'I like that one.' 

'Who else knows?' 

They shared a glance. James shrugged. 'No one?' 

'I see,' she took a step back. 'So you're what? Friends with benefits?' 

'I guess that's a pretty apt description?' 

James nodded in agreement. 

She took a moment to process the information, her brows lowering and relaxing into the situation a little. A little too much if you asked Scorpius once a devilish smile appeared on her face and she said: 'Who knew you'd be a biter, Scor?' 

'Okay get out my room!' He ordered. He tried not to blush. He really did. 'That was highly inappropriate.' 

James piped up behind him with: 'But highly accurate.' 

He shot a death glare to the man behind him. 'You are  _not_ helping.' 

Rose giggled and wiggled her fingers as she skipped out the room with a: 'Half an hour and then we have to leave!' 

Scorpius ran a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh. That was particularly disastrous. 

'I guess that makes things...easier?' 

James always could see the silver lining to the dark cloud. Scorpius had to agree with that however. It sort of did make it easier. Now that both Albus and Rose knew, surely they wouldn't have to sneak around so much anymore. To an extent. 

 Once the pair got dressed and headed downstairs, Rose was waiting in the hallway with Albus. The younger brother pulled a face as Scorpius and James appeared as Rose simply gave a knowing smirk. 

'I hope you enjoyed your sleepover, Jamie.' 

Scorpius wasn't sure he'd ever seen the taller man blush quite like that before. The grin was undeniably proud however. 'It was bloody fantastic thanks.' 

That made Scorpius blush. It was a nice word to be described as. 

Albus groaned loudly. 'Gross! That's gross! Please get out my house thank you!' 

James winked at his brother. 'So, about that permission to apperate?' 

'Just because Rose is now aware that you're having  _casual sex_ with my  _best friend_ does not mean you get apperation privileges! Floo!'

'Okay, okay! See you later guys, enjoy your day!' 

\---

James had only been half right. It was easier to meet, there was not so much sneaking around as James was much more forthcoming about his visits, and used them as time to actually hang out with his little brother and cousin also. The three of them seemed quite close as it was, and it was nice to see Albus be happy about seeing his sibling. 

What it didn't make easier was Scorpius. He'd always been very sure that the entire ordeal was very much a learning experience. The brunette was attractive, and good in bed, and entertaining to have around. But he frustrated Scorpius to no end sometimes with his jokes and pranks and general  _Potter-_ _Weasley_ _-_ ness. But the more that they actually spent time together, the less frustrated and more charmed he was by the flaws of the man. 

The pranks weren't always well executed. Sometimes he didn't quite know where the line was, but he was always apologetic. The more Scorpius observed, the more he realised how James planned the jokes to suit the people he was doing it for. 

He would pull a slightly darker humoured joke on Albus which, when he thought about it, was more Albus's kind of humour than James's. When Rose was working too much, he would do something to give her a jump scare and make her laugh. 

Scorpius knew he was in trouble after James had ran into his room one day trying to catch his breath with a wide, toothy smile on his face, Albus pounding on the other side of the door. Their eyes met. Scorpius felt a bubbling in his chest that definitely wasn't fear, though it did make him afraid. 

' _Scor_ _!'_  Came the shout from the other side.  _'Do me a favour and hex your fuckbuddy for me would you?'_

Scorpius drew out his wand. 

'Wait-that's not fair!' 

Scorpius gave a decidedly  _Slytherin_ smile. 'What is it that the muggles say? Bros before hoes?' 

Albus cheered on the other side of the door as James let out a yelp of surprise once he was sprayed with water.

A couple of hours later found the pair of them in the kitchen as James finished drying off his hair with a spell and Scorpius made them coffee. Albus was sat at the table next to his brother, sneering and laughing at the loss he'd had. It wasn't often they managed to get vengeance on James after all. 

Scorpius moved over and placed one mug in front of each of the brothers, his own landing safely where he planned to sit. James grinned and leant up to smack a kiss on his cheek. 

'Cheers, Scor.' 

It was a simple act. But that was it. It sent electricity racing through him that he tried so hard to hide as he sat in his seat and smiled at the pair. James winked at him and began to babble on in his usual way, while Albus continued as if nothing strange had happened. 

His mind was reeling. This had been happening for a while. Albus wasn't surprised because Albus  _knew_  what he didn't. 

It all came to ahead when James stepped through the floo one afternoon while Scorpius and Albus were reading together on one of the couches together. Rose was in the kitchen getting coffees for them all though she came through shortly after James had sat down with a half smile on his face. 

'I have something important to tell you.' 

Scorpius tried not to imagine that James was staring at him as he spoke. 

'I've been offered a placement in Romania with Uncle Charlie.' 

His heart stopped.

'I'm going to head over at the end of the week.' 

Albus reacted first. ‘End of the week? That's a bit...soon isn't it?' 

'I suppose. I've been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now. He only got back to me this morning.' 

Scorpius wanted to know why he hadn't mentioned anything until now if he'd been thinking about it for a couple of weeks. Rose set the drinks down and Scorpius could feel her eyes on him. He didn't look. 

'Jamie, are you sure about that? It's a big move.' 

'It won't be forever Rosie. It'll be for a few months I imagine. Maybe a year.' 

He felt a bubble in the back of his throat. An entire year. 

Albus was the first to fully protest. 'You can't be serious James?! You're just going to up and leave?’

‘Calm down, it’s only Romania.’ 

‘Only-?! I know you-what are you running from?' 

'I'm not running from anything Al, I-!' 

'Don't lie to me!' 

He snapped. When James shouted, it was like the whole world stopped, like you could finally see how intimidating of a man he was. 'It's none of your business!' 

Albus backed down. His fists were clenched. His jaw set. 'Fine. Be like that.' 

He stormed out the room without a second word. 

The brotherly fight was what Scorpius needed to snap out of his trance however. He stood and looked down at James, using all his willpower to keep his voice steady. 'You'll do brilliantly. I know how much you love dragons, how much you love all creatures, and...' Steady voice. Come on, Malfoy. 'I know you'll be brilliant.' 

James gave a lopsided smirk. 'Thanks, Scor. I appreciate it.' 

He nodded before turning out the room and to find his best friend. It wasn't difficult really, he'd gone straight to his room without locking the door. Scorpius at least knocked before he opened it however. Albus was flopped on the bed like some kind of dramatic teenager. Classic Albus.

'May I come in?' 

Albus murmured something. It wasn't a no. 

'Are you alright, Al?' 

The dark haired man turned onto his back, looking almost pained. 'Are  _you_?' 

The question took him by surprise. 'Of course, why wouldn't I be?' 

'James is  _leaving_. To  _Romania_. To work with  _dragons_.' 

'I am aware. I was also in the room when he made the announcement.' 

'You and him are a thing.' 

'We're friends,' Scorpius clarified. 

Albus rolled his eyes. 'Don't bullshit me, Scor. I've seen the way you look at each other, the way you act. Only you two think you're just friends.' 

He wasn't sure what to feel about that. 'He's going to be happy. Like, really happy. Isn't that enough?' 

'What about you?' 

'What about me?' 

'Will you be happy?' 

It was a question he wasn't sure of the answer to. He walked forward until his knees hit the mattress and his nose hit the blanket. Albus was next to him, patting him on the back. He wasn't entirely sure. 

'Maybe...' He finally broke the silence. 'It's time I started looking for things that weren't James Potter.' 

\---

Albus went to see James off. Scorpius refused, saying that he had to go to work. Albus knew it wasn't true, but he didn't say anything. That day Scorpius spent in his room crying for no real reason. Just because he could. They had barely seen each other after James said he was leaving. Perhaps he'd figured out that Scorpius had begun to fall for him. 

They exchanged letters every so often. Polite, civil letters. It felt like he wasn't quite putting his heart into it. Almost like they were token. He was just as guilty for it though. 

After the first month he decided to do what he'd said he would: he started to look for things that weren't James. He went on a couple of dates with a couple of people, testing the waters and seeing what he could find. One of them he even went on more than one date with, but when it came to making the decision and becoming something official he declined. The gentleman was good about it. Understanding. 

He tried to go out to bars and clubs with Rose and her friends. He lasted about two hours before he went home and found Albus in the living room reading. It suited him much better. 

'You don't need to force yourself, Scor,' Albus had said to him one day. 'You're allowed to be sad about him leaving.' 

'No, I'm not,' Scorpius had answered. 'I'm scared that if I do I won't stop being sad.' 

After three months it all began to be a lot easier. He'd stopped going on random dates and threw himself into his work for the ministry, so much so that he earnt a pay rise. He began to visit his father more often, something he felt like he was almost forgetting to do. He learnt more about the upkeep of the manor and the work that was involved, that he may even take over one day. 

He came out as gay. His father gave less resistance than he thought he would, approving though not entirely happy about it. It was a pleasant surprise. A step forward, out of the void that he'd fallen into. 

'Is there anyone special? Is that why you're telling me this now?' 

Scorpius smiled as best he could. 'No. Not anymore.' 

Draco wrapped him in a tight hug. Apparently the message he hadn't wanted to convey got across. He was thankful. 

He'd included it in a letter to James. Expressed how thankful he was that the older Potter had spent so much time with him, helped him explore exactly what it was he wanted. That he hoped James was happy where he was and that hopefully it was what he wanted. He tried to ignore the fact that as he waxed the envelope closed there was a tear stain on it. 

He gave it to Albus to be delivered with his own letter. Easier to send them in a group through the Magical Delivery Service than it was to owl it himself. It was a long way to travel for a little bird. 

The complete lack of response from James's end almost...helped. 

Nearly a fortnight after that letter he awoke in the middle of the night to a banging on the door. He was groggy and sluggish as he headed down the hallway, wand in hand, just to be on the safe side. He tried to wake himself up and raised a security charm to show him who was standing on the other side of the door. 

Brown eyes stared back, hair so wet from the rain it looked like it was black, even if he knew it was brown. The only thing that was different was the beard. 

Scorpius yanked the door open and dragged the man into the house, preparing to cast a few spells to dry him off so he didn't catch a cold and trapes water through their house. Rose would murder him. He would murder himself. He had half a mind to hex the man in fact for turning up in the early hours of the morning without notice.

'I needed to see you.' 

Scorpius hadn't even said anything. He stopped in his tracks, not having even cast the water lifting spells yet. He could hear the storm outside. 

'At four in the morning?' Scorpius snapped. 'Surely whatever you have to say or  _need_ _ed_ tocould wait, couldn't it?' 

James shook his head and grabbed the blonde's arms. He was acting strange. 'No, it can't. I need to talk to you.' 

'Aren't you meant to be in Romania? Al never said you were coming home.' 

'I quit.' 

The words shocked him enough to make him stop trying to cast spells. 'You-you what?' 

'I quit, Scor,' James's eyes were the same colour brown as he remembered. Like melted chocolate. 'I left the Dragon reserve.' 

'But-!' Scorpius was too stunned to fully come up with a response. 'Why? What will you do for work now?' 

'I can find a job with animals here-I don't care! I'm not here to talk about that!' 

Pale lips snapped closed. Clearly the Gryffindor wasn't in the mood to be questioned. 

'I'm here for you!' 

'M-me?!' 

James's hand came up and closed around his pale cheek. The hands were still damp. Cold. Felt nice against his warm face. 

'James...what's going on?' 

The brunette leant forward until their noses were touching. Scorpius didn't know how to respond. Didn't know what to say, or do. He was trapped by that warm breath ghosting across his face, the cold fingertips and the chocolate orbs. He could feel droplets of water running down James's forehead and onto his nose.

'James?' 

'I'm an idiot, Scor. I hope you can forgive me.' 

'For what?' 

'For not realising sooner.' 

He didn't have a chance to respond. James had closed the gap and locked their lips together in what must've been the sweetest, softest kiss that they'd ever shared. Scorpius couldn't help but sink into it, lacing his fingers into James's hair in order to bring them even closer. They pressed flush up against each other and he could feel the rain water soaking into his nightrobes. He didn't care. 

'What was that banging-?!' 

Scorpius tried to pull away, but James's hold was too tight. 

Seconds that felt like decades that felt like moments passed before James let go. He didn't care that he'd heard Albus's voice from down the hall, only that James was finally back in front of him. That he could feel the soft hair, the freckled skin, the pink lips. That was all he cared about. 

'I think I love you.' 

It wasn't what he was expecting to happen at four o'clock in the morning four months after James had left the country. He'd kind of given up on it happening altogether. 

'I think I love you too,' his voice cracked half way through speaking and he realised the dampness on his face wasn't from James anymore. 'I love you so much.' 

James's arms wrapped around him tightly, dripping water all over their carpet. It was nothing a little spell couldn't fix. 

'Can I stay the night?' James asked. His voice was so quiet. 'I don't want to stop hugging you ever.' 

Scorpius couldn't help it. He laughed. Loud and clear and  _happy_. 'Yes, please. I'd like that. I'd love it in fact.' 

'Good,' James pulled back, holding on to Scorpius's shoulders. 'I owe you an explanation.' 

'You don't owe me anything, James. We weren't together.' 

'That doesn't matter,' he confessed. 'I knew I'd fallen in love with you. And it scared me. I thought that you still saw me as a friend and I was going to mess it up like I always do and-!' He stopped for breath. 'I worry so much about disappointing people. I didn't even realise you felt the same.' 

Scorpius nodded. 'I did. I do.' 

James kissed him again. 

\---

Albus groaned loudly from his corner of the room, snapping his book shut and glaring across at the other couch. Rose had covered her mouth to giggle at the display of blatant dramatics at the behaviour of the other two occupants of the room. 

'Would you two just get a  _room_ already? We get it, you've been apart for months, if you want in each other's pants so bad then just go get it over with!' 

Scorpius's face lit up so bright he could've been his own light. James simply grinned and sneered at his little brother as he pulled the blonde further onto his lap. 

'What's wrong, Ally?' James teased. 'Don't you like seeing us being happy?' 

'It's wonderful, congratulations, I hate it.' 

Rose nudged him with his foot. 'Come on, Al. Give them some slack. You can get on their case about being too couple-y next week.'

'Yeah, Al. We're allowed to be couple-y. Rosie said so.' 

Scorpius cleared his throat and pulled back from James's grip. 'Maybe we should take this-elsewhere. I don't want to make Al uncomfortable.' 

'Thank you, Scor. At least someone has my best interests at heart.' 

James nodded with a soft smile. A warm smile. A smile that lit up Scorpius's entire world. 'Anything for you.' 

Rose started giggling again. Albus made a gagging noise. Scorpius wasn't sure he really cared when James gave him the world's softest kiss and finally let go. 

'Don't worry, every couple has a honey moon period. I'm sure they won't be so sickly sweet forever,' Rose assured her cousin. 

'Merlin, I hope you're right. I couldn't live with this. It's nauseating.' 

Scorpius stood and headed out the room with James hot on his heels. The pair made a couple of smacking sounds and laughter that promised more. 

Albus groaned again and brought the book to his forehead. Hard. 'I can't deal with this. I regret everything. I should've stopped it way back when we all went on holiday together and I first found out.' 

Rose laughed at his pain. 'You're secretly happy, I know you are. You love it.' 

His only response was to grumble and open his book back up, burying his head and ignoring the laughter from down the hall. 'The least they could do is cast a silencing spell.' 

They did. Eventually. Because Albus screamed at them to from the living room. 

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this like two years ago and I thought it was unfinished but this weekend I discovered that it was complete the only thing it didn't have was a title which I honestly still don't have but hey ho let's just roll with it.


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